Highlights
- Australia to reduce 30 per cent flights from India
- More restrictions will apply to those travelling from Australia to India
- India on Thursday reported more than 300,000 coronavirus cases
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday announced a reduction in flights from 'high-risk' countries, including India after a record rise in coronavirus cases in the South Asian country.
Mr Morrison said Australia will be reducing flights "by 30 per cent over the course of this week in volume from India into Australia."
"We considered today another emerging and important issue that is dealing with returning Australian residents and citizens from high-risk countries. Now as time goes on and the pandemic continues to rage, there are countries that are at greater risk than others," Prime Minister Morrison said after the national cabinet meeting.
"We have seen in particular most recently an increase in the rate of cases in our quarantine system at states and territories levels from arrivals from India," he said.
"What we have agreed to do and this particularly relates to the charter services running into the northern territory. We will be reducing by some 30 per cent the numbers coming through our chartered services in the months ahead.
"We will also be limiting the departure exceptions for Australians travelling to high-risk countries," Mr Morrison said.
The decision will impact those travelling to India for family events such as weddings and funerals.
"Regrettably, we will be instructing the (Australian) Border Force to ensure only in very urgent circumstances would an exemption be permitted for someone to travel to a high-risk country," Mr Morrison said.
Australia's decision came two days after the UK added India to a 'red list', restricting anyone other than the UK and Irish residents into Britain. The UK restrictions will apply to those who had been in India in the past 10 days.
India on Thursday reported more than 300,000 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number to over 15 million cases.
On 9 April, New Zealand temporarily suspended travel with India due to a high number of coronavirus cases in India. Source: Sanjeev Verma/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
This is the first time more than 300,000 cases have been recorded in a day since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
On 9 April, New Zealand temporarily suspended travel with India. The suspension started on 11 April and will be in place until 28 April.
